Nebraska Cornhuskers football

Nebraska Cornhuskers football
2010 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
File:University-of-Nebraska-Lincoln-logo.svg
First season	1890
Head coach	3rd season, 27–9 (.750)
Stadium	Memorial Stadium, Lincoln (capacity: 81,067 Record: 86,304)
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	Lincoln, Nebraska
Division	North
Past conferences	Big 6/7/8 MVIAA WIUFA
All-time record	834–342–40 (.702)
Bowl record	24–22 (.522)
Claimed national titles	5
Conference titles	43
Heisman winners	3
Consensus All-Americans	53
Current uniform
File:Big12-Uniform-NEB.PNG
Colors	Scarlet and cream
Fight song	There is No Place Like Nebraska, Hail Varsity
Mascot	Herbie Husker, Lil' Red
Marching band	Cornhusker Marching Band (The Pride of All Nebraska)
Rivals	Oklahoma Sooners Colorado Buffaloes Missouri Tigers
Website	huskers.com

The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only seven football programs in NCAA Division I-A history to win 800 or more games. The Cornhuskers are the winningest college football program over the last 50 years, both by winning percentage and number of wins.

History

Husker football began play in 1890, with a 10–0 victory over the Omaha YMCA on Thanksgiving Day, November 27. During the early years of the program, the team had a number of nicknames: "Bugeaters", "Tree Planters", "Nebraskans", "The Rattlesnake Boys", "Antelopes", "Old Gold Knights" and "Cornhuskers". The name Cornhuskers first appeared in the school newspaper as "We Have Met The Cornhuskers And They Are Ours" referring to a 20–18 upset victory over Iowa in 1893. The name would be used again, this time to refer to Nebraska by Charles "Cy" Sherman in The Nebraska State Journal during the 1899 season and would replace all other names by 1900.

Nebraska has claimed 46 conference championships and part or all of five national championships: 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, and 1997. The titles in the 1990s marked the first time since Notre Dame in 1946–49 when a team won three national championships in four seasons. The 1994 and 1995 seasons still stand as the only consensus back-to-back national titles by any Division 1-A school since Oklahoma in 1956-57. Nebraska posted a 60–3–0 record between the 1993-97 seasons. ESPN.com has named the 1971 Nebraska Cornhusker team the greatest team of all time.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers also have five undefeated seasons when they were not the national champions; 1902, 1903, 1913, 1914, and 1915. Between 1912 and 1916, a 34-game unbeaten streak was recorded by then head coach Ewald O. Stiehm.

Famous former Huskers include Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, and Eric Crouch. Rodgers was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and for the new millennium he was voted the team's "Player of the Century"; his Cornhusker jersey (No. 20) was retired. Rozier was likewise inducted into the hall in 2006. Other Husker players and coaches who are members of the College Football Hall of Fame include: Forrest Behm, Bob Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Sam Francis, Rich Glover, Wayne Meylan, Bobby Reynolds, Dave Rimington, George Sauer, Clarence Swanson, Ed Weir, Grant Wistrom, and coaches Gomer Jones, Pete Elliott, Francis Schmidt, Dana X. Bible, Bob Devaney, Biff Jones, Tom Osborne, Eddie "Robbie" Robinson, and Fielding H. Yost.

Historically, the rivalry between Nebraska and Oklahoma often carried league championship and occasional national championship implications. The teams regularly battled for the Big Eight Conference title until 1996, when the conference was absorbed by the new Big 12 Conference. Out of the Big Eight's 89 year history, Nebraska or Oklahoma won or shared the conference championship 71 times. The Cornhuskers and Sooners also played several games during the 1970s and 1980s that decided the national championship. Nebraska and Kansas, though not considered a big rivalry, play in the nation's longest uninterrupted series. They have played each other every year since 1906.

Nebraska before a game versus Southern California prior to stadium renovation in 2009

Cornhusker fans during a 2009 season home game hosting Kansas State

The Husker defense is known by the nickname of the "Blackshirts." Depictions of the Blackshirts often include a skull and crossbones. This nickname originated in the early 1960s and continued as a reference to the black practice jerseys worn by first-string defensive players during practice. This tradition developed when Bob Devaney had Mike Corgan, one of his assistant coaches, find contrastive jerseys to offset the red jerseys worn by the offense in practice. Further credit is given to George Kelly, Devaney's defensive line coach until 1968, who frequently referred to the top defensive unit by the name; eventually the rest of the coaching staff caught on, while the first mention of the Blackshirts in print was not until 1969.

Since the 1994 season, Nebraska's home games have opened with the Tunnel Walk. Before the team enters, the HuskerVision screens light up with a burst of computer animation, and "Sirius" (an instrumental by The Alan Parsons Project) blares from the speakers. Accompanied by cheers from the crowd, the Huskers take the field. When the Cornhuskers play at home in Memorial Stadium, the stadium holds more people than the third-largest city in Nebraska. They currently hold the record for the most consecutive sold out home games, which celebrated its 306th sellout on September 11, 2010 when the Huskers played host to the University of Idaho Vandals. The sellout streak dates back to November 3, 1962 during Bob Devaney's first season at Nebraska. The Huskers lost the first game in the current streak, a Homecoming game, to Missouri 16–7; 36,501 fans were in attendance.

On June 11, 2010, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln announced that its regents unanimously voted to end the university's affiliation with the Big 12 Conference, and would be joining the Big Ten Conference beginning with the 2011 season.

Logos and uniforms

Nebraska has worn traditional uniforms through out its history. The first helmet was red, with a white stripe. This was later changed to a plain white helmet with a black number on the side. During 1967–1969, a red, offset "NU" was placed on each side of the helmet. From 1970, the "NU" was changed to the simple, familiar "N" that remains today, although it is thought a few "NU" helmets remained in use as late as 1972.

The helmet design has remained essentially unchanged since 1970, with the exception of the face mask, as it was changed from grey to red prior to the 1982 Orange Bowl game against Clemson.

The jerseys have only been altered a few times, with the addition of shoulder stripes and numbers. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Huskers wore full shoulder stripes reminiscent of those worn by the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. These were gradually phased out when mesh and tearaway jerseys became popular. For the 1974 Cotton Bowl Classic, the jersey has the script "Nebraska" embroidered onto the front. From 1980–1983, Nebraska's jerseys featured just a simple block "N" on the sleeves. In 1984, two sleeve stripes and sleeve numbers were added back to the uniform, where they essentially remain today, although the stripes and numbers have decreased in size as jersey sleeves have shortened over the years.

Shoulder patches were added to the jerseys beginning in 1989, with a patch that commemorated the 100th season of Nebraska football. The following season, a patch with "Nebraska Football: A Winning Tradition" embroidered on it was added above the left breast of the jersey. In 1999 a new version of this patch debuted and it has remained there to date.

Names began appearing on the backs of the jerseys for bowl games beginning in the 1970s. Around 1980, the players' names began appearing on the road jerseys. The home jerseys remained nameless except for when worn during bowl games, with one exception. A brief tradition was established for the last home game of each season, where seniors (playing their final game in Memorial Stadium) were allowed to wear names on their jerseys; underclassmen, however, did not. This explains why footage of many Oklahoma-Nebraska games played in Lincoln during this era feature some Nebraska players with names on their jerseys and some without. From approximately 1988 onwards, names were permanently affixed to the home jersey, where they remain.

The team traditionally wears white pants at home and red on the road, although there have been exceptions. Nebraska donned red pants with red jerseys for the first (and to date, only) time in school history for its 1986 contest against Oklahoma. Nebraska led this game for 58½ minutes before losing a 20-17 heartbreaker due to some late OU heroics, and the combination was deemed to be unlucky.

Nebraska began periodically donning all-white, beginning with the 1991 Citrus Bowl game against Georgia Tech (a game in which they were blown out, 45-21). They next tried the combo during the 1992 season, wearing all-white for the first three road games of that year. They lost two of the three, including an embarrassing 19-10 decision to an unranked Iowa State squad. The combination was not tried again until the ill-fated 2002 uniform (see next paragraph) and was also worn during Bill Callahan's last game as head coach (another embarrassing loss, this time 65-51 to Colorado). As a result, Husker fans typically associate the all-white look with losing and tend to prefer the red road pants.

From 1968 to 1994, the pants had two stripes down each side. Originally they were thin stripes, but became thicker sometime in the mid-1970s.These were removed prior to the 1995 season, and the pants remained stripe-less until 2001. For the 2002 season, Nebraska experimented with side panels on the jersey and pants, and went to all white permanently on the road. The look was overwhelmingly disliked by most fans, presumably because the Huskers went 7-7, which was at the time their worst season in 40 years. In 2003, Nebraska returned to a look similar to the one they wore from 1995–2001. In 2004, the two pant stripes returned to the uniform, where they have remained since.

On September 26, 2009, for the first time in school history, the Cornhuskers wore "throwback" uniforms from 1962 in honor of Nebraska's 300th consecutive sell out. Adidas is the official shoe and uniform sponsor of Nebraska athletics.

For the 2010 season, the numbers on the outside of the shoulder were placed on the top of the shoulder pads. Similar to the style of the late 1970s.

File:Big12-Uniform-combination-NEB.PNG

Nebraska's uniform combinations

Coaching

The early years (1890-1917)

The Nebraska football program started strong and experienced success from the very beginning, going twenty-eight years straight with only a single losing season. Until the 1-7-1 losing season in 1899 in coach A. Edwin Branch's only year at the helm, Nebraska had compiled a 40-18-3 (0.680) record.

Nebraska's 4th coach, Frank Crawford (1893–1894, 9-4-1, 0.679) was the first paid head football coach at Nebraska. Eddie "Robbie" Robinson (1896–1897, 11-4-1, 0.719) and Fielding H. Yost (1898, 8-3-0, 0.727), the sixth and seventh head coaches, were the earliest Nebraska coaches to eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Walter C. Booth (1900–1905, 46-8-1, 0.845) was the program's 9th leader, and had the second-best career record spanning more than a year during this era, bested only by Ewald O. Stiehm (1911–1915, 35-2-3, 0.913), who won the conference title in all five of his seasons and whose winning percentage as Nebraska's 12th head coach remains an all-time program best.

A brief slump (1918-1920)

When the United States became involved in World War I, many young men went off to war, depleting the ranks of football teams nationwide. In addition, travel was severely restricted, causing the cancellation of numerous scheduled football games. Further complicated by the effects of the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1918 college football season was severely impacted.

William G. Kline led Nebraska through the stunted 1918 season, managing a 2-3-1 (0.417) record. Henry Schulte (1919–1920, 8-6-3, 0.559), with thirteen years as a coach at other schools before arriving at Nebraska, managed over the next two years to barely attain a winning record as the program recovered from the war and aftermath. Although Schulte stepped down as head football coach after 1920, he remained at Nebraska to coach other sports and as an assistant football coach through 1938.

Climb back to dominance (1921-1941)

By the end of the post-war slump, Nebraska had been led by fifteen head coaches over thirty-one years, but a new period of relative stability followed as Nebraska once again experienced success in college football.

Fred Dawson (1921–1924, 23-7-2, 0.750) arrived at Nebraska after stints at Columbia, Denver, and Virginia. In his four years he won three conference titles and compiled the best record from this era, though it was nearly matched by the two coaches to follow him.

First-time head coach Ernest E. Bearg (1925–1928, 23-7-3, 0.742) pulled in a title in his final season before handing over the team to Dana X. Bible (1929–1936, 50-15-7, 0.743). Bible had an established reputation after fifteen years of experience as head coach, bringing in five Southwest Conference titles for Texas A&M, and his success continued as he led Nebraska to six more conference titles in his eight seasons.

Biff Jones (1937–1941, 28-14-4, 0.652) was not as successful as his predecessors, yet still was a winning coach who claimed two titles in his tenure and brought Nebraska to their first ever bowl game, a loss to Stanford in the 1941 Rose Bowl. The following year, as the nation began to more fully be drawn closer to involvement in World War II, the program set a new record low with five straight midseason losses. One week after the final game of the season, Japan carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. The country was again at war. Many thousands of young men joined the armed forces and were soon shipped abroad, as Nebraska's fortunes once again headed into a downturn.

Slide into obscurity (1942-1961)

Nebraska was led by three head coaches during the war years, with a scarcity of players available as so many of the country's young men were abroad and at war. By 1945, the year the war ended, the Cornhuskers recorded a losing 11-24-0 (0.314) record.

The situation did not improve after the war, as Bernie Masterson (1946–1947, 5-13-0, 0.250) recorded the worst head coach career winning percentage ever compiled at Nebraska in his first and only head football coaching appointment. Previous head coach George Clark (1945 & 1948, 6-13-0, 0.316), a veteran of both world wars with an extensive coaching pedigree and who led Nebraska in the final war season of 1945, returned as Nebraska's coach for 1948 temporarily as a search was made for his successor, prior to his ascension to Athletic Director at Nebraska.

Clark hired Bill Glassford (1949–1955, 50-40-4, 0.471), and Nebraska's performance improved somewhat over previous years, especially after the 6-2-1 1950 season, and Nebraska's second-ever bowl appearance, a 7-34 loss to Duke in the 1955 Orange Bowl.

Following Glassford, Pete Elliott, a star quarterback who led Michigan to the 1948 national championship, arrived at Nebraska for his first ever head coaching appointment. Although he would go on to achieve successes later in his career, he recorded a 4-6-0 (0.400) record in his one year at Nebraska. His replacement, Bill Jennings (1957–1961, 15-34-1, 0.310) fared even worse at the helm, his final career record with the Cornhuskers being the lowest of all but three of Nebraska's coaches. Nebraska will beat Iowa State on 11/06/10.

The Devaney and Osborne dynasties (1962-1997)

File:Cornhusker Football Statue.JPG

UNL Cornhusker Football Statue

Bob Devaney (1962–1972, 101-20-2, 0.829) brought about an immediate turnaround in the fortunes of Nebraska football. He led Nebraska to a 9-2 record in his first season, including Nebraska's first ever bowl win against Miami in the 1962 Gotham Bowl. This was the first of what would eventually be 40 consecutive winning seasons, and Nebraska's NCAA-record ongoing sellout streak began in the seventh game of this season. After five straight bowl game seasons, Devaney's squad suffered two 6–4 years in a row in 1967 and 1968, prompting a change in philosophy suggested by offensive assistant Tom Osborne, who would also advance to Offensive Coordinator the following season. Over the next four seasons, Nebraska suffered just four losses, amassed an overall 42-4-2 (0.896) record, won the conference title in each year, and secured Nebraska's first and second national championships.

Devaney stepped down after the 1972 season and took over the duties of Nebraska's Athletic Director. Osborne (1973–1997, 255-49-3, 0.836) subsequently became Nebraska's longest-tenured and all-time winningest coach, who also became the NCAA's fifth most winning Division 1-A coach in history over the course of his 25 years at the helm. Osborne never won fewer than nine games in any of his seasons, secured thirteen conference titles, and brought Nebraska three more national championships while going 60-3 over his final five seasons.

The Post Osborne era (1998-present)

Upon Osborne's retirement, the program was handed over to longtime coaching assistant Frank Solich (1998–2003, 58-19, 0.753), who also had played for Nebraska 1963-1965. In his six seasons, Solich managed to outperform Osborne's own initial six years while bringing in two conference division titles in addition to an outright conference championship, and taking the Cornhuskers to the National Championship game in 2001. After Solich's only non-winning season at Nebraska, a 7-7 campaign in 2002, Solich changed his approach much as Devaney had done after 1968, and made changes to his assistant coaching staff. The turnaround appeared successful, as Solich's 2003 team went 9-3 in the regular season. However this level of success was not judged to be adequate by second-year Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson, who fired Solich before the bowl game, justifying the move by stating he would not "let Nebraska gravitate into mediocrity" and would not "surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas". Solich's defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini, hired in the 2002 staffing shakeup, was appointed interim coach and led the Cornhuskers to a 17-3 Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State to close out the 2003 Nebraska season with a 10-3 record.

Although Pelini interviewed for the position as permanent replacement, ultimately former Oakland Raiders head coach Bill Callahan (2004–2007, 27-22, 0.551) was named as Solich's successor. Callahan's mandate to prevent Nebraska's decline was not immediately successful, as he installed the West Coast offense made popular in the NFL. His 2004 first-year record of 5-6 was Nebraska's first losing season since 1961. The 8-4 2005 season showed improvement, and Nebraska's 9-5 record in 2006 accompanied a conference division title. However, in 2007, Nebraska dropped five games in a row for the first time since 1958, including a record-setting 76-39 loss to Kansas. Pederson was fired as athletic director in the middle of the five-game slide, and Tom Osborne returned from his political career to fill in as interim athletic director. Callahan subsequently put up just one more win, against Kansas State, before closing the season with a 51-65 loss to rival Colorado. In four years, Callahan had achieved the lowest winning percentage by a Nebraska head coach in 46 years, and Osborne fired him the following day.

Osborne selected Bo Pelini (2008–present, 20-8, 0.714 as of the end of the 2009 season) to return to Nebraska as the 32nd head coach of the Cornhuskers. Pelini's first team tied for the division title and went 9-4 on the season, which was the best season record among all twenty-eight first-season coaches in college football's FBS division. In 2009, Nebraska led the nation in scoring defense, finishing 10-4 with another division championship and a #14 overall ranking. Following the 2009 season, Pelini was given his second raise and contract extension.

Current coaching staff

Name	Title	First year in this position	Years at Nebraska	Alma Mater
Bo Pelini	Head Coach	2008	2003, 2008-	Ohio State
Carl Pelini	Defensive Coordinator Defensive Line	2008	2008-	Youngstown State
Shawn Watson	Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks	2007	2006-	Southern Illinois
Tim Beck	Running Backs	2008	2008-	Central Florida
Ron Brown	Tight Ends	2008	1987–2003, 2008-	Brown
Barney Cotton	Associate Head Coach Offensive Line	2008	2003, 2008-	Nebraska
Mike Ekeler	Linebackers	2008	2008-	Kansas State
Ted Gilmore	Assistant Head Coach Receivers Recruiting Coordinator	2008	2005-	Wyoming
John Papuchis	Defensive Ends Special Teams	2008	2008-	Virginia Tech
Marvin Sanders	Secondary	2008	2003, 2008-	Nebraska
Jeff Jamrog	Assistant AD for Football	2008	1988–1989, 2000–2003, 2008-	Nebraska
James Dobson	Strength and Conditioning	2008	2008-	Wisconsin
Curt Baldus	Graduate Assistant	2008	2006, 2008-	St. Cloud State
Ross Watson	Graduate Assistant	2008	2008-	Mount Union

Bowl results

* - Denotes National title Date played Winning team Losing team notes January 1, 1941 Stanford 21 Nebraska 13 1941 Rose Bowl January 1, 1955 Duke 34 Nebraska 7 1955 Orange Bowl December 15, 1962 Nebraska 36 Miami 34 1962 Gotham Bowl January 1, 1964 Nebraska 13 Auburn 7 1964 Orange Bowl January 1, 1965 Arkansas 10 Nebraska 7 1965 Cotton Bowl Classic January 1, 1966 Alabama 39 Nebraska 28 1966 Orange Bowl January 2, 1967 Alabama 34 Nebraska 7 1967 Sugar Bowl December 20, 1969 Nebraska 45 Georgia 6 1969 Sun Bowl January 1, 1971 Nebraska 17 LSU 12 1971 Orange Bowl* January 1, 1972 Nebraska 38 Alabama 6 1972 Orange Bowl* January 1, 1973 Nebraska 40 Notre Dame 6 1973 Orange Bowl January 1, 1974 Nebraska 19 Texas 3 1974 Cotton Bowl Classic December 31, 1974 Nebraska 13 Florida 10 1974 Sugar Bowl December 26, 1975 Arizona State 17 Nebraska 14 1975 Fiesta Bowl December 31, 1976 Nebraska 27 Texas Tech 24 1976 Bluebonnet Bowl December 19, 1977 Nebraska 21 North Carolina 17 1977 Liberty Bowl January 1, 1979 Oklahoma 31 Nebraska 24 1979 Orange Bowl January 1, 1980 Houston 17 Nebraska 14 1980 Cotton Bowl Classic December 27, 1980 Nebraska 31 Mississippi State 17 1980 Sun Bowl January 1, 1982 Clemson 22 Nebraska 15 1982 Orange Bowl January 1, 1983 Nebraska 21 LSU 20 1983 Orange Bowl January 2, 1984 Miami 31 Nebraska 30 1984 Orange Bowl January 1, 1985 Nebraska 28 LSU 10 1985 Sugar Bowl January 1, 1986 Michigan 27 Nebraska 23 1986 Fiesta Bowl January 1, 1987 Nebraska 30 LSU 15 1987 Sugar Bowl January 1, 1988 Florida State 31 Nebraska 28 1988 Fiesta Bowl January 2, 1989 Miami 23 Nebraska 3 1989 Orange Bowl January 1, 1990 Florida State 41 Nebraska 17 1990 Fiesta Bowl January 1, 1991 Georgia Tech 45 Nebraska 21 1991 Citrus Bowl January 1, 1992 Miami 22 Nebraska 0 1992 Orange Bowl January 1, 1993 Florida State 27 Nebraska 14 1993 Orange Bowl January 1, 1994 Florida State 18 Nebraska 16 1994 Orange Bowl January 1, 1995 Nebraska 24 Miami 17 1995 Orange Bowl* January 2, 1996 Nebraska 62 Florida 24 1996 Fiesta Bowl* December 31, 1996 Nebraska 41 Virginia Tech 21 1996 Orange Bowl January 2, 1998 Nebraska 42 Tennessee 17 1998 Orange Bowl* December 30, 1998 Arizona 23 Nebraska 20 1998 Holiday Bowl January 2, 2000 Nebraska 31 Tennessee 21 2000 Fiesta Bowl December 30, 2000 Nebraska 66 Northwestern 17 2000 Alamo Bowl January 3, 2002 Miami 37 Nebraska 14 2002 Rose Bowl December 27, 2002 Mississippi 27 Nebraska 23 2002 Independence Bowl December 29, 2003 Nebraska 17 Michigan State 3 2003 Alamo Bowl December 28, 2005 Nebraska 32 Michigan 28 2005 Alamo Bowl January 1, 2007 Auburn 17 Nebraska 14 2007 Cotton Bowl Classic January 1, 2009 Nebraska 26 Clemson 21 2009 Gator Bowl December 30, 2009 Nebraska 33 Arizona 0 2009 Holiday Bowl

Season results Year Record Final AP Poll Ranking 2009 10-4 #14 2008 9-4 NR 2007 5-7 NR 2006 9-5 NR 2005 8-4 #24 2004 5-6 NR 2003 10-3 #18 2002 7-7 NR 2001 11-2 #7 2000 10-2 #7 1999 12-1 #3 1998 9-4 #19 1997 13-0 #2 1996 11-2 #6 1995 12-0 #1 1994 13-0 #1 1993 11-1 #3 1992 9-3 #14 1991 9-2-1 #15 1990 9-3 #17 1989 10-2 #11 1988 11-2 #10 1987 10-2 #6 1986 10-2 #4 1985 9-3 #10 1984 10-2 #3 1983 12-1 #2 1982 12-1 #3 1981 9-3 #9 1980 10-2 #7 1979 10-2 #7 1978 9-3 #8 1977 9-3 #10 1976 9-3-1 #7 1975 10-2 #9 1974 9-3 #7 1973 9-2-1 #7 1972 9-2-1 #4 1971 13-0 #1 1970 11-0-1 #1 1969 9-2 #11 1968 6-4 NR 1967 6-4 NR 1966 9-2 #6 1965 10-1 #3 1964 9-2 #6 1963 10-1 #5 1962 9-2 NR

National championship seasons

Nebraska huddling before a game versus Texas

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl
1970¹	Bob Devaney	AP	11-0-1	Won Orange
1971	Bob Devaney	AP, Coaches	13-0	Won Orange
1994	Tom Osborne	AP, Coaches	13-0	Won Orange
1995	Tom Osborne	AP, Coaches	12-0	Won Fiesta
1997²	Tom Osborne	Coaches	13-0	Won Orange
Total national championships – 5

1. Shared with Texas*
2. Shared with Michigan

* Texas retained a #1 ranking in the UPI Poll despite a 24-11 loss to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Classic, since the UPI at that time released its final rankings prior to bowl games. Nebraska was #1 in the final AP Poll, conducted after the bowl games.

Individual award winners

Players

File:Heisman.jpg

Heisman Trophy Johnny Rodgers - 1972 Mike Rozier - 1983 Eric Crouch- 2001 Walter Camp Award Johnny Rodgers - 1972 Mike Rozier - 1983 Eric Crouch - 2001 Maxwell Award Mike Rozier - 1983 AP Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh - 2009 Davey O'Brien Award Eric Crouch - 2001 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Tommie Frazier - 1995 Dave Rimington Trophy Dominic Raiola - 2000

Dick Butkus Award Trev Alberts - 1993 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Ndamukong Suh - 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award Ndamukong Suh - 2009 Lombardi Award Rich Glover - 1972 Dave Rimington - 1982 Dean Steinkuhler - 1983 Grant Wistrom - 1997 Ndamukong Suh - 2009 Outland Trophy Larry Jacobson - 1971 Rich Glover - 1972 Dave Rimington - 1981, 1982 Dean Steinkuhler - 1983 Will Shields - 1992 Zach Wiegert - 1994 Aaron Taylor - 1997 Ndamukong Suh - 2009

Coaches

• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award

Bob Devaney - 1971

• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award

Tom Osborne - 1999 (Recognized as coach of the decade)

• Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award

Tom Osborne - 2007

Nebraska All-Century Football Team

All-century team members were selected via an online poll hosted at huskerwebcast.com during the 1999 football season.

Offense
QB - Tommie Frazier (1992–1995)
IB - Mike Rozier (1981–83)
IB - Roger Craig (1979–82)
FB - Tom Rathman (1983–85)
FB - Joel Makovicka (1995–98)
WR - Irving Fryar (1981–83)
WR - Johnny Rodgers (1970–72)
TE - Junior Miller (1977–79)
OT - Bob Newton (1969–70)
OG - Will Shields (1989–92)
OC - Dave Rimington (1979–82)
OG/C - Aaron Taylor (1994–97)
OG - Dean Steinkuhler (1981–83)
OT- Zach Wiegert (1991–94)
Special Teams
PK - Kris Brown (1995–98)
P - Jesse Kosch (1994–97)
KR - Tyrone Hughes (1989–92)
PR - Johnny Rodgers (1970–72)

Defense
DE - Grant Wistrom (1994–97)
NT - Rich Glover (1970–72)
DE/OLB - Trev Alberts (1990–93)
DE/OLB - Broderick Thomas (1985–88)
LB - Marc Munford (1984–86)
LB - Ed Stewart (1991–94)
LB - Tom Novak (1946–49)
CB - Michael Booker (1994–96)
CB - Ralph Brown (1996–99)
ROV - Mike Brown (1996–99)
ROV - Mike Minter (1993–96)

Nebraska's All-Time Team

As selected by Athlon Sports in 2002.

Offense
WR Johnny Rodgers 1970-72
E Guy Chamberlin 1914-15
TE Tracey Wistrom 1998–2001
OL Bob Brown 1961-63
OL Zach Wiegert 1991-94
OL Dave Rimington 1979-82
OL Dean Steinkuhler 1981-83
OL Will Shields 1989-91
OL Aaron Taylor 1994-97
QB Tommie Frazier 1992-95
RB Mike Rozier 1981-83
RB Bobby Reynolds 1950-52
FB George Sauer 1931-33
K Kris Brown 1995-98

Defense
DL Willie Harper 1970-72
DL Ed Weir 1923-25
DL Larry Jacobson 1969-71
DL Rich Glover 1970-72
DL Wayne Meylan 1965-67
DL Grant Wistrom 1994-97
LB Tom Novak 1946-49
LB Jerry Murtaugh 1968-70
LB Trev Alberts 1990-93
DB Dana Stephenson 1967-69
DB Larry Wachholtz 1964-66
DB Pat Fischer 1958-60
DB Dave Butterfield 1974-76
DB Ralph Brown 1996-99
P Dan Hadenfeldt 1997–2000

Retired jerseys

Nebraska has only retired three jersey numbers, generally retiring the player's jersey itself rather than the jersey number.

Permanently retired jersey numbers

• #20 Johnny Rodgers (1970–1972)†
• #60 Tom Novak (1946–1949)
• #64 Bob Brown (1961–1963)

† Rodgers permitted his #20 jersey number to be worn by his son Terry, who played for Nebraska from 1986–1990, before it was again permanently retired.

Retired player jerseys

• #7 Eric Crouch (1998–2001)
• #15 Tommie Frazier (1992–1995)
• #30 Mike Rozier (1981–1983)
• #34 Trev Alberts (1990–1993)
• #50 Dave Rimington (1979–1982)
• #54 Dominic Raiola (1998–2000)
• #67 Aaron Taylor (1994–1997)
• #71 Dean Steinkuhler (1980–1983)
• #72 Zach Wiegert (1991–1993)
• #75 Larry Jacobson (1969–1971)
• #75 Will Shields (1989–1992)
• #79 Rich Glover (1970–1972)
• #93 Ndamukong Suh (2005–2009)
• #98 Grant Wistrom (1994–1997)

Outside of Memorial Stadium on the University of Nebraska Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska

Current NFL Personnel

• Titus Adams - Defensive End, Cleveland Browns
• Zackary Bowman - Cornerback, Chicago Bears
• Stewart Bradley - Linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles
• Josh Brown - Placekicker, St. Louis Rams
• Correll Buckhalter - Running Back, Denver Broncos
• Josh Bullocks - Safety, Chicago Bears
• Adam Carriker - Defensive Tackle, Washington Redskins
• Phillip Dillard - Linebacker, New York Giants
• Cody Glenn - Linebacker, Indianapolis Colts
• Russ Hochstein - Offensive Guard, Denver Broncos
• Gene Huey - Running backs coach, Indianapolis Colts
• Richie Incognito - Offensive Guard, Miami Dolphins
• Brandon Jackson - Running Back, Green Bay Packers
• Chris Kelsay - Defensive End, Buffalo Bills
• Sam Koch - Punter, Baltimore Ravens
• Lydon Murtha - Offensive Tackle, Miami Dolphins
• Carl Nicks - Offensive Guard, New Orleans Saints
• Chris Patrick - Offensive Lineman, San Francisco 49ers
• Zach Potter - Defensive End, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Dominic Raiola - Center, Detroit Lions
• Tom Rathman - Running backs coach, San Francisco 49ers
• Barrett Ruud - Linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Scott Shanle - Linebacker, New Orleans Saints
• Matt Slauson - Guard, New York Jets
• Le Kevin Smith - Defensive Lineman, Denver Broncos
• Ndamukong Suh - Defensive Tackle, Detroit Lions
• Barry Turner - Defensive End, Chicago Bears
• Kyle Vanden Bosch - Defensive End, Detroit Lions
• Fabian Washington - Cornerback, Baltimore Ravens
• Demorrio Williams - Linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs

Future seasons and schedules

2011 season

2011 recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Allen, Taariq WR	Weston, MA	Rivers School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	4.54	Oct 26, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Bouzos, Aaryn S	La Mirada, CA	La Mirada	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.5	May 13, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Davie, Daniel S	Beatrice, NE	Beatrice	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	4.4	Jun 17, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Green, Aaron RB	San Antonio, TX	James Madison	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.4	Oct 27, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 85
Klachko, Ryan OL	Springfield, IL	Sacred Heart-Griffin	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	5.47	Apr 7, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Mitchel, Tevin CB	Mansfield, TX	Legacy	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.4	Jun 2, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Moore, Tyler OT	Clearwater, FL	Countryside	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.07	Oct 10, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Reeves, Ryne OG	Crete, NE	Crete	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	286 lb (130 kg)	5	Jun 10, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Sade, Niklas K	Raleigh, NC	Wakefield	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Jun 30, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Santos, David LB	Klein, TX	Collins	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	4.55	Jul 31, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Stafford, Daimion S	Norco, CA	Chaffey C.C.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.46	May 19, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Starling, Bubba QB	Gardner, KS	Edgerton	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jun 19, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Sterup, Zach OT	Hastings, NE	St. Cecilia	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	5	Jun 22, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Turner, Jamal QB	Arlington, TX	Sam Houston	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	4.5	Jan 28, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Williams, Kevin DT	Holland, OH	Springfield	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	4.9	Apr 19, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 17   Rivals: 22
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com 2011 Nebraska Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02. "Scout.com 2011 Nebraska Commitments". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02. "ESPN 2011 Nebraska Commitments". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.

2011 schedule

September 10Fresno State*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 17Washington*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 24at Wyoming*

• War Memorial Stadium
• Laramie, Wyoming

October 1at Wisconsin

• Camp Randall Stadium
• Madison, Wisconsin

October 8Ohio State

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

October 15TBA*TBA October 22at Minnesota

• TCF Bank Stadium
• Minneapolis, Minnesota

October 29Michigan State

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

November 5Northwestern

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

November 12at Penn State

• Beaver Stadium
• University Park, Pennsylvania

November 19at Michigan

• Michigan Stadium
• Ann Arbor, Michigan

November 26Iowa

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

2012 season

2012 recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Rose, Michael LB	Kansas City, MO	Rockhurst	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.75	Jul 5, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com 2012 Nebraska Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08. "Scout.com 2012 Nebraska Commitments". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08. "ESPN 2012 Nebraska Commitments". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08.

2012 tentative schedule

Some other open dates remain unfilled.

September 1Southern Miss*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 8at UCLA*

• Rose Bowl
• Pasadena, California

September 29Wisconsin

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

October 6at Ohio State

• Ohio Stadium
• Columbus, Ohio

October 20at Northwestern

• Ryan Field
• Evanston, Illinois

October 27Michigan

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

November 3at Michigan State

• Spartan Stadium
• East Lansing, Michigan

November 10Penn State

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

November 17Minnesota

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

November 24at Iowa

• Kinnick Stadium
• Iowa City, Iowa

2013 tentative schedule

Due to conference realignment, the 2013 Big Ten conference schedule is not yet determined. Some other open dates remain unfilled.

August 31Wyoming*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 7at Southern Miss*

• M. M. Roberts Stadium
• Hattiesburg, Mississippi

September 14UCLA*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

2014 tentative schedule

Due to conference realignment, the 2014 Big Ten conference schedule is not yet determined. Some other open dates remain unfilled.

September 13at Fresno State*

• Bulldog Stadium
• Fresno, California

September 20Miami*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

2015 tentative schedule

Due to conference realignment, the 2015 Big Ten conference schedule is not yet determined. Some other open dates remain unfilled.

September 5Southern Miss*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 12at Miami*

• Sun Life Stadium
• Miami Gardens, Florida

2016 tentative schedule

Due to conference realignment, the 2016 Big Ten conference schedule is not yet determined. Some other open dates remain unfilled.

September 3Fresno State*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 10Tennessee*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

September 17Wyoming*

• Memorial Stadium
• Lincoln, Nebraska

2017 tentative schedule

Due to conference realignment, the 2017 Big Ten conference schedule is not yet determined. Some other open dates remain unfilled.

September 9at Tennessee*

• Neyland Stadium
• Knoxville, Tennessee

See also

• NCAA Division I-A national football champions
• List of Nebraska Cornhuskers football coaches

External links

• Nebraska Cornhuskers Football - University of Nebraska Athletic Department